Mary Shkut
Marvin Councilor
MEETING NEWS
This page is consistently update - Thank you for your patience! Fee free to reach out if you'd like an update not yet posted or, have any questions. See my contact page.
Below are quick notes highlighting major decisions which occurred in the last six meetings or so. Beginning with the seventh meeting, the updates will be saved to a pdf document and available in a quick download by selecting the "meeting update' button.
MAY 31, 2018 - NOTABLE AGENDA ITEMS & ACTIONS
List of topics in this meeting update:
~ Final version of the budget is posted to the website
~ Ron Salimao's resignation from the Council
~ Mary Shkut's appointment to Ron Salimao's Council seat
~ Download the update, to the right, for more complete details.
JUN 04, 2018 - NOTABLE AGENDA ITEMS & ACTIONS
General Update:
Held: Meeting regarding the Marvin Rd. & New Town Rd. Roundabout Design
Meeting Attendees:
~ NCDOT engineers and officials,
~ Meadowlark subdivision residents,
~ Meadowlark Subdivision HOA Representatives
~ Marvin residents adjacent to the intersection
~ Marvin Council Members: Robert Epps & Mary Shkut
Outcome:
All participants agreed on the following for now:
~ The roundabout needs to be move as far to the east as possible
~ The construction design should be provided as soon as possible
~ Shkut & Epps will consider ordinance amendments to facilitate roundabout design
~ NCDOT will produce new design and present it to participants for consideration
Follow up:
~ As of Oct 2, 2018 I have not received any information with regard to the new design or the project, in general
JUN 30, 2018 - NOTABLE AGENDA ITEMS & ACTIONS
This is a general note regarding regular meetings scheduled
during the month of June and July, 2018:
~ June 04 - Council meeting was held, without quorum
~ June 12 - Council meeting was cancelled
~ June 27 - Council meeting was cancelled
~ June 30 - Council meeting was held, without quorum
~ July 01 - NC State deadline for the municipal budget
~ July 01 - Marvin Village Shut-down (Begins due to failure to pass the city budget)
~ July 07 - Marvin Village Receives Letter from NC Dept. of Treasury
~ July 10 - Marvin Village Shut-down (Ends due to adoption of a city budget)
JUL 10, 2018 - NOTABLE AGENDA ITEMS & ACTIONS
Council Majority: Misleads the public in terms of where the July 10 meeting will be held.
Council Majority: Guides meeting attendees to Banks Church while acting in another location
Council Majority: Takes controversial action in Village Hall, while public is at Banks Church
Council Majority: Votes to vacate Mary Shkut's appointment to the Marvin Village Council
Held: Public Comment period provides overwhelming support for Mary Shkut's appointment
Event: Mary Shkut attempts to object to controversial items on the Consent Agenda
Council Majority: Votes to have Mary Shkut removed from the Council seat
Event: Mary Shkut cites statutes which say she lawfully holds seat until court states otherwise
Council Majority: Vote to have to Mary Shkut physically removed by Deputy Officers
Event: Union County Deputy Officers refuse to physically remove Mary from the seat.
Mayor Pollino: Attempts to implore Deputy Sheriff's to remove Mary Shkut, and they refuse.
Council Majority: The following policies were also requested and / or adopted:
~ Directed Restricting Cell Phone Use in Village Council Meetings
~ Directed Restricting Council Member Access to Village Hall Staff
~ Directed Restricting Council Member Access to Village Attorney Services and Advice (Directed)
~ Constructed a Legal Subcommittee of Two Members of the Council Avoid Calls for Special Meetings
~ Appointed Dispenziere & Vandenberg to Legal Subcommittee
~ Approved garnering of legal service with an additional Outside Attorney to pursue litigation against Shkut
~ Approved ability for Village Attorney to pursue litigation against Mary Shkut
~ Pursued the inclusion of property, owned by Ravi Vasireddy, Firethorne Club Associate, into the Village Center
~ Pursued the purchase Reason's property as an alternative to building Village Hall on municipal property
Note: The preceding is not a complete list. Additional updates are pending.
Supplemental Documents & Resources
JUL 23, 2018 - NOTABLE VILLAGE EVENTS, AGENDA ITEMS & ACTIONS
Inter-Meeting Update:
July 23: Lawsuit received by the Village of Marvin from Mary Shkut
July 23: Lawsuit cites three Village officials (Village for failing to follow statutory laws, unlawfully revoking her Council seat and for several violations against open meeting laws
JUL 30, 2018 - NOTABLE AGENDA ITEMS & ACTIONS
Council Majority: Two new agenda items were added to the Council work-session agenda
Council Majority: Approves recognition of Mary Shkut as a defacto officer on the Village Council
Council Majority: Approve pursuit of legal action to challenge Mary Shkut's title. The action will be taken through the Village Attorney and/or the newly acquired outside attorney.
Point of Information: This legal challenge is called a "Quo Warranto" writ or action. There is some confusion given that Quo Warranto writ may only be pursued by 'private relators' in a civil action and "no public funds may be appropriated" in the pursuit of such an action. It's unclear why the Village of Marvin attorneys are permitting their Council majority to expend funds or pursue the action as a public municipal business item.
General Update: The Council majority realized that previous actions, depriving me of the ability to perform the duties of my office, were unlawful and reversed action.
AUG 09, 2018 - NOTABLE AGENDA ITEMS & ACTIONS
Majority Proposed: City Charter Amendment Allowing the Mayor to Vote on All Matters
Majority Proposed: City Charter Amendment without a voter's referendum on the amendment
Adopted: Policy Allowing Council Members to Remotely Participate in Council Meetings
Adopted: Policy Enabling Municipal Funds to Be Use In Defense of Council Members
AUG 30, 2018 - NOTABLE AGENDA ITEMS & ACTIONS
Submitted: ~ Approx. seventeen (17) letters opposing the City Charter Amendment as drafted
Minority Proposed: Three failed motions to table / reschedule Public Hearing to facilitate public attendance.
Held: Public Hearing for City Charter Amendment Allowing Mayor to Vote on All Matters
Held: Joint Meeting with the Village Council & Parks, Recreation & Greenway Board
SEP 11, 2018 - NOTABLE AGENDA ITEMS & ACTIONS
General Update: The Council meeting was cancelled due to lack of quorum
General Update: The proposed Charter Amendment (see above) was postponed
For more details, select the meeting update.
SEP 27, 2018 - NOTABLE AGENDA ITEMS & ACTIONS
Village Hall Redevelopment Option: Directed pursuit of cost estimates for VH redevelopment on Reason's property
Marvin Logo: Directed an ordinance be drafted to prevent use of logo without authorization
Legal Expenses: Some degree of contention over the proposed Budget Amendment for Legal Expenses
Legal Expenses: The Council acknowledged the Council majority (specifically, Pollino and Vandenberg) had, at least, benefited from public funds appropriated in filing the civil action of Quo Warranto.
Legal Expenses: To refute unauthorized claims the Mayor had provided in a letter to HOA presidents, the Mayor and Council majority acknowledged that approximately ~$17,000 in legal funds had been spent before Mary Shkut filed any legal action against the Village. Therefore, the Council majority had invested those funds on their own, and not in defense of any pending legal action on the part of Mary Shkut. Instead, only after the Council unlawfully vacated my seat, contrary to NC Statute §128-6, was Mary Shkut forced to either 'give up' or file suit and, upon public encouragement, filed the suit.
Legal Expenses: With no other option, the increase to the Legal Expense budget was passed.
Legal Services & Representation: Update pending asap
Conflict of Interest Form: Directed Mary Shkut and Administrator to draft changes to the Village COI form
Purchase and Procurement Policy: Directed Mary Shkut and Administrator to draft a Purchase & Procurement Policy
Charter Amendment: The City Charter was not added to the agenda and did not pass